The upsets we’ve seen on the women’s tour are now bleeding over into the men’s side. In one of the biggest shockers this decade, last night Stan Wawrinka finally got over on longtime nemesis Novak Djokovic stunning the Serb 9-7 in the fifth in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open.

Djokovic had twice administered soul-crushing 5-set losses to Stan last year, at the Australian Open and against at the US Open, but this time it was Stan who put the wood to the 3-time defending champion by simply doing it better than his more decorated rival.

While Stan revels in his win, deservedly so, the bigger story is the fall of Djokovic. The World No. 2 had played so well, was so full of confidence, had the dream draw and the win streak and came into the event with new coach Boris Becker.

But in that moment he needed to be at his very best he cracked. There’s no other way to put. He just cracked. Watch the replay.

Serving 7-8, 30-30, Djokovic mishandled a shot at the net. Then down matchpoint he inexplicably pulled a serve-and-volley and completely duffed the volley part of the routine.

Stunning.

Was it a panic move? Did Boris influence that decision? Whatever it was, Djokovic wasn’t thinking clearly in that situation and it cost him the match and maybe the title.

That loss leaves the door wide open for any number of players including Roger Federer to take the crown on Sunday. But Rafael Nadal, who plays Grigor Dimitrov, has to be licking his chops.

Now onto to today’s matches….

Rafael Nadal v Grigor Dimitrov
The young Dimitrov has showed some promise in three previous meetings with Nadal (he won a set in each), but this is a best-of-5 format and unless Nadal is struggling in some way, I really don’t see how Dimitrov can win three sets over Rafa in the biggest match thus far of his career.

And I’m also wary of Dimitrov’s body holding up. He’s had issues in the past with some untimely cramping issues and if this match does run long and deep that’s a concern for the 22-year-old.

But I still think it should be a competitive affair. Nadal’s had a strange tournament with niggling injuries like his ankle and blisters so maybe we’ll see more of that today.

And if Grigor continues to serve well, handles that high backhand and gets the crowd going, who knows.

In the end though…The Pick: Nadal in four

Roger Federer v Andy Murray
What a difference a match makes. After the first week at the Australian Open, Federer looked good but that was against very sub-standard competition. And based on his 2013 dataset, there was little indication Federer could rise up like he did and bomb JW Tsonga the other night.

The win not only sent Federer to the quarterfinals – his 11th straight in Melbourne – but gave those recently suffering Federer faithful some renewed hope that Roger 32 isn’t that much different than Roger 26.

Or heck, maybe they are one in the same!

Well, that’s extreme but I’ll actually buy into this resurgence. I wouldn’t have a week ago but Federer really did look that good on Monday be it the bigger racquet, the Stefan Edberg effect or whatever.

Murray, though, is a completely different animal than Tsonga. Instead of playing at one speed – fast – like Tsonga, Murray will mix it up, change pace, vary his shots and make Federer work more much more than the Frenchman.

And he’s beaten Federer 11 times in 20 tries, and beaten him on the biggest of stages.

That said, I don’t know how well Murray can execute after missing so much time off due to back surgery. That’s my pause here. And in his last match against the unheralded Stephane Robert he blinked. He also had a struggle in the final set against Vincent Millot.

So even though Murray leads the series and comes in as the higher ranked guy, I’m leaning to Federer to pull this one out. If Roger plays like he did against Tsonga – attacks Murray, serves big and is careful with his net approaches (Murray’s a very good passer unlike Tsonga), I think he can get the job done.

Tough, tough, tough one to call. Most observers I have seen seem to back Muzza here, but they admittedly are British.

Andy’s over his issue, he’s got matches under his belt. But is he playing at a high level and is he sharp enough for a top 6 player? I honestly don’t know.

Fed? He seems to have much improved. Beating Tsonga like he did was a big boost for him. But as Sean mentions: will he be ready for a Murray who’ll push him around, turn it into a physical affair? I’m not sure here also.

I think the winner will be the less error prone, consistent and mentally solid of the 2.

Right now, considering Fed is RU, SF, SF, RU in his recent tournies when Andy was out injured- I give him the edge to pull it out just about.

I think Sean’s right: this could go either way, likely will be scrappy and messy, with the winner in 5.

Federer in 4 sets. I agree with Polo. I don’t think Andy is quite ready yet after the surgery. Not enough matches under his belt. Federer is feeling confident after a big win over Tsonga and I think he’s a player who really builds his game off confidence.

I have never felt that Andy matched up well against Federer and historically, he’s played well against Andy in slams.

Regardless of Fed winning or losing against Murray, as a Fed fan, think he as had an awesome run @AO.
Tsonga is a beast, and to beat him in straights, in a Slam, @ 32, is awesome.
Anything Fed wins from here on out at this point in his illustriuos career is GRAVY. Allez Fed!

Strange? In what way? The excuse mongerer gamesmenship mode is in typical full flight. Question is, can he win a Slam or lose one without an excuse? Can’t and won’t happen.
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When you have nothing, all you can do is make fun. 18 is coming.

If Rafa is playing well, I don’t see Grigor taking one set off the Spaniard.
Dimitrov will need to serve extremely well to have any chance against Rafa.

I expect Rafa to play aggressive tennis and put pressure on his younger opponent right from the first ball.

Murray defeats Federer in 4:

Everything clicked for Roger against Tsonga in the round of 16. And we never saw him get pushed hard by Jo. Most of the times when Federer approached the net, he left the court open but Jo just had no idea how to pass him. He couldn’t even lob properly. I don’t think Tsonga can really be that bad. I think he just had a bad day. And Roger playing so well made it more difficult for the Frenchman to make a come back in the match.
About 80-90% of Jo’s returns and shots also landed too short, very attackable for an experienced champion to not take advantage of.

In the last 3-4 games Jo began playing well…and suddenly Federer didn’t look so good. But Roger was a break up already in that set and was good enough to close the match.

Andy will make it very difficult for Roger. I’m not sure Roger is the same 2006 Roger. He’s still the guy who lost to Hewitt in Brisbane.

For sure, a demoralizing loss for Novak. He definitely cracked at important moments of the match and gave it to Wawarinka. The last volley that he misfired out of the line was just a sitter which even an amateur would make 10 out of 10, but Novak blinked. There is no point in blaming Becker for Novak’s hard loss. He was solely responsible for his loss. I do not think Novak can ask for a better opening than this with a dream draw and him coming into the tournament with brimming confidence and with a winning streak, yet couldn’t it make even to the finals.

As regards today’s quarterfinals, well you can never overlook Rafa against any player. He must be the overwhelming favourite although at this very moment Dmitrov is leading but it is too early. For Dmitrov to boost his confidence and believe in winning, he has to compulsorily win the first set. But still, Rafa should get through in 4 tough sets.

As regards Roger vs Andy, it is tough to call. It all depends on which kind of Roger turns up, the one who entertains the crowd with his magical Tennis or his latest avatar where he sprays the balls at will all round the Court and shanks easy shots. If that Avatar of Roger against Tsonga turns up then I am sure Andy will have his hands full and you have to give it to Roger. On the other hand, it is another variant of Roger that is presented before Andy then he should relish it and go into the semi-finals. So, in my opinion, this is a match too close to call.

Congrats to Stan. I wish I had watched the match real time but I didn’t want to stay up until 4am with work. Incidentally what does the wawrinka victory do to the theory that one handed backhand are obsolete? How did poor Stan with his weak one handed backhand even manage to win a game against a top notch tennis player like Djokovic possessing a two handed backhand?

I am not a Rafa fan but i don’t see anything wrong with his fans believing he should win all the time. As a Federer fan, i believe he should win all the time. I haven’t had any need for a handkerchief in spite of his many losses theseast few years.

what I do not understand is why u get passuve vs nadal when in the end u keep losing those points being too passive..dont get it and will never get it…same procedure as every match of nadal..good last point by nadal but dimi shold attack that second serve more..just imitating federer there too much

Time violation…..!!. Thats it Rafa, take more time, this is the only way to win. Slow it down. Way down. Make them wait. Make them ALL wait. That a baby.
Now, everyne is bored drom waiting, now you can make your great shot, dig the butt, pump the fists, and claim glory. Classic. The Tennis game is so much better now cause of your tics. Lol…time to channel surf.

yes van orten…i agree…he just doesnt give up and runs and runs and chases till you break down…you cant even have a marginal slip up and your resolve should be unparalleled…only Djoker has that now…To win 3 sets is just not possible…and he can go on and on for 10 hrs…but others cant…have stopped watching this match…no point…will be plain annihilation from here onwards…poor dimitrov…played v well but crossing that extra mile is going to be a big challenge…
imagine this is the status on a hardcourt…what would be on clay courts? I shiver to even think….

I am skeezer. In two days I’ll have something new to talk about in therapy if my HoneyCanDoNoWrongFedBooBoo wins tonight. In the meantime let me laugh at at my own attempts at humor so I’ll feel better in case nadal gets that walkover two days from now.

skeezer;-) I understand your sentiments…i have already quit and there is no point…pls give the trophy to nadal…its just a formality…people will play lights out.,..take the 1st set and then bull dog will chase and run and give that huge looping forehands to single handed backhand till it finally breaks down…and more importantly others will break down after 4 hrs whereas he can play for another 4 hrs comfortably after that ;-) Its the same thing that we have been seeing for the past 10 yrs….Grind till death….

I want to know why Rafa even lost the first set? Doesn’t he own Fed types? Why should he even lose a set against who he supposedly “owns”? Whats up with that? Please tell me its all because of those lame bandages he wears for excuses “just in case”?
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Vamosheads afraid to post. They will trash talk only when he wins. Otherwise……Ostrich Head in Sand, behind Couch in TV room. So scared…..vamos?
#3headshakesandaheadband

On another note, I can’t see really young players breaking through and winning slams in this baseline generation of men’s tennis unless their fitness is supreme. This was the case for both Djokovic and Murray. Maybe Hewitt can coach one of the juniors up when he retires or something.

stylewise I couldnt care less bout nadal..I is what it is..what I do not understand why he always gets away with it..what is it that makes him so tough and the stars almost always align in his favour…easy to be nadal fan..you all know in the end it is almost impossible to beat him playing so so…a shame dimitrov way too passive and he is paying the price big time..

It’s hard to beat any of the top players playing so so, it’s just that nadal’s mental toughness and his game is built in a way where it’s unlikely that he’ll play two/three bad sets of tennis. You have to be on fire for three sets more or less and hit him off the court unless your name is Novak Djokovic.

Wow, one awfull game by Nadal where he made 2 inside iut FH errosa nd a DF on BP and it’s 5-4 Dimitrov. Dimi only chance is to break now to take the set and start serving the fourth. He likes to play front runner and also use the oportunity since he has the momentum now, those tennis moments going his way.

With Novak exiting, it appears that Rafa may get his 14th Slam equalling Sampras by winning the Australian Open. I do not think he fears any of the finalist namely Berdych or Wawrinka. These players just do not know how to play against him. And that leaves him with only Andy and may be Roger on the way. But it is still a question mark as to where the level of Andy actually is, as he is yet to face stern test in this tournament. As regards Roger, he can definitely beat Rafa if he plays like he did against Tsonga. However, the harsh truth is that he just succumbs to Rafa’s onslaught without a fight. Roger’s game just wilts against Rafa. The plain truth is that Roger has lost that mental battle against Rafa. He just doesn’t have it in him to beat him more so in a major. He did that way past in 2006 and 2007 and that is long long ago. So with 14 in his bag unless there is a big shock, equalling or surpassing 17 would become a mere formality as Rafa is more likely to win the French Open too.

@kimberly,
For real. No jokin here with ya. Did you see his presser showing the blisters? Really bad place and can affect your grip, thus stroke production. Grigor is playing great but the Rafa bilsters are having an affect. Btw Grigor has no dtl bh, critical against Rafa.

I am going to be a mess tomorrow. I really should try to go to sleep! He does seem off, as did azarenka but you don’t want to take credit away from their opponents maybe they seem off because their opponent kept them off balance

Poor Dimitrov…
How can he sucksomuch in tiebreaks? No wonder his record ia awfull in TB
I can imagine if he will have anything left after that point on 6-5. He got the first serve, sitter to finish the set and lses the set in the exact same shot again.

You must not watch a lot of tennis. How is it a big shocker when player B defeats player A, who had previously won two big matches by literally some of the smallest margins imaginable? Sure, Djokovic was most people’s pick (not mine, after the way Wawrinka arrived in the QF, although I’m also not putting any money down on my picks, so take ‘em with a grain of salt…), but that doesn’t make it a bigger shock than, well, plenty of results from this very tournament – like JMDP losing, for instance.

And sure, Djokovic “cracked” at the end. But what you don’t mention is how his iron nerve and serve kept him alive through several preceding service games, not to mention a bit of the luck of the champion in his penultimate such game. If you don’t recall, Djokovic had won something like 8 of the last 9 points on serve with service winners, that’s how well he was playing. But in his penultimate service game, Wawrinka was able to get the ball in play on the first three points. The first was a pretty short rally; Djokovic hit a fantastic shot that just barely, barely clipped the line. A few more mm and it would have been 0-15. Then Wawa won the second point. Djokovic won the third point, after a long rally and splendid play from both guys. If I am thinking of the right point, Wawrinka hit a shot that would have been a likely winner (nothing guaranteed, of course) if it had cleared the net instead of being just a smidge too low. In short, fantastic tennis from both guys, and Wawa could have easily come up with 0-40 for a triple match point.

My point isn’t “oh, how lucky Djokovic is.” (That would be silly, although I am still a bit bitter about that 2011 USO SF against Roger.) My point is that if you just focus on the two points Djokovic messed up at the very end of the match and say “well, he cracked,” you’re doing very poor tennis analysis. How do you think the match got to that length in the first place? Djokovic elevated his game tremendously over the fourth and fifth sets and played something like 10 or 11 out of those 14 service games literally as perfectly as you can play against a guy returning and rallying as well as Stan was. It’s insulting to both players. I wonder if you had any understanding of what you were watching — two guys at the very top of the mound of possibilities presented by aggressive baseline tennis, finding answer after answer after answer to one another’s brilliant play. Of course one of them had to crack; that’s why the match isn’t still running.

If Dimitrov was really as good as some make him out to be, he’d have straight setted this Nadal. Like Steve Darcis did. This level of play from Rafa is crappy. He’d get slaughter by Murray or even Federer if he shows up playing like this.

(Clarification: I meant the two biggest matches between players A and B, in case that wasn’t obvious… in other words, Djokovic squeaked by Wawa twice last year; why’s it so ineffably “shocking” for Wawa to squeak by him this time around?)

Nadal’s face, and some gestures from him like when asking for the towell with a tenser gesture, reflected the match’s drama for him, maybe because of his physical problems. We could see these problems in his FH, it wasn’t with confidence, and he made some unusual errors with it.

It’s not that shocking Djokovic lost, people just love to overreact. It’s more about his last four slams than this singular effort anyway. He had Nadal on the ropes at French, couldn’t finish him, he lost in straights to Murray at wimbledon, and even if murray is the best player on grass right now, I don’t think he’s That good that Djokovic cant even take a set off him there. He had that third set against Nadal in the USO and let that slip away. 2011 Djokovic probably wins at least two of the last four slam losses. I still think he’s way too talented to not have double digit slams by the end of his career but he’s having problem closing and I think he, like Nadal, has probably a 2-3 year window of consistent domination at the top of the game. Just a streak of missed opportunities for him recently.

Wow what a nail biter. I will have to give a hand to Grigor. He played a great match. Rafa had his hands full tonight, but got the job done.

@Chic

I don’t want to sound negative, but I’m worried about his serve. Had several dfs today. He told Courier that blister affected his serve more than any other facet of his game. It was obvious. His serve saved him in the Monfils match. Maybe it will start to heal, but when it’s aggravated, I doubt it will be any better by the semis

Going to watch Andy and Roger……Will be cheering for Andy. It will be a tall order, Roger looked amazing against Tsonga. It will start in 30 min. It’s 2 am in Oklahoma, hope I can stay awake. I had to give up on Stan and Novak. Was surprised about the outcome, to say the least. Those Swiss fellas have beautiful backhands, I have to say.

Vamos Rafa…..win…..lose….or draw, you are amazing. Good luck in the semis!!!

even the hardest fed haters should see that this is very hurting. 2 mp gone in a bad way now again 0:40 and choking it away. how many more titles could he have had if not by his very very bad bp and matchpoint convertion. it is a pity. even the hardest murray fans see that he is very lucky to be still in that match. but that will not help him vs nadal unfortunally because nadal would never let this happen …we all saw what happened earlier today…this is annoying

this is not funny anymore. how on earth is murray still in this set. this is not fair. 8 bp alone in this set..what a waste…come onnnnnnnn rogeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

If Nadal plays the way he played last 2 matches Fed may have a shotbut it’s Fed Nadal will see accross the net, something will trigger in his mind and he will play his best match of the touney against Fed.
But the Fed serve and BH and how he is returning better at least give me some hope.

God,
Reading these comments…just want to say firstly…I really DO NOT CARE whether Federer wins or loses these Days…he LOVES the game. I enjoy watching him play!

gannu, don’t Watch any matches any more with Roger. You bring the whole fed game down. You will Always get this with Roger now, if you can’t deal with it, then get out Before you have a heart attack and more heart attack.

Roger has the heart of a tiger.

Giles and the rest of the vamos crew. If Rafa wins, I will congratulate you because for me, Rafa -v- Roger has given me my greatest moments and my greatest pain. What would I have either? Neither? Both?

Yet again a great display by Roger against a player like Andy who has tremendous grit and determination. It was a bizarre match in a sense. Roger was just outplaying Andy for most part of the match. The turning point came when he was serving for the match at 5-4, he made two costly UEs and Andy took advantage of it and the set went to tie break. There again Roger had match point but couldn’t convert it. And Andy took advantage of the set point opportunity and won the third set. Yet again in the fourth, Roger was extending Andy in his service games but for some reason just couldn’t break. Infact I think Roger should have been quite frustrated with his efforts in converting break points. The ghost of previous encounters continue to haunt him when he was up two sets against Tsonga and was having match points against Novak. Yet, Roger remained patient until Andy exploded within and he deservingly won the match. A great show by a 32 year old coming to the Semi finals in a field of such great depth and he is having the toughest of draws.

Now coming to the most eagerly awaited Semi-final clash between Roger and Rafa, which on the face of it Rafa should’nt be having any problems considering the lop sided H2H advantage he is having against Roger. But if you consider the form of the players in this tournament, then Roger enjoys an advantage. He has shown some sublime form and displayed his skillful and exquisite Tennis. He is also not afraid to come to the net and may be we should thank Edberg for it. So, he is in with a chance if he plays like he did in the last two matches although Rafa should be the favourite.

Like madmax, I too “really DO NOT CARE whether Federer wins or loses these Days” but it still feels so much better when he wins.

I’m happy with his win over Andy and his performance so far in this AO. However, I think the outcome against Nadal will remain the same. I am resigned to that. It has become so regular that it now feels OK to me, like it’s a natural phenomenon. Just don’t lose to anybody else.

What is so amazing is that at this age, Roger is able to dominate the next generation of players. I am so happy that he made the semi-finals which I thought initially was too much to expect. Now, having come so far, Roger would be thinking ahead of winning the tournament which is now a possibility. The only stumbling block is Rafa and it is a very big one indeed. Can Roger beat Rafa atlast ?? Keeping my fingers crossed.

This match could seal the GOAT debate. If Fed wins and win the tournry he will have 18 forcing Nadal to win 5-6 more Slams. Tall order for him who will turn 28 in May.
This would be the math of Fed’s life. Insteado of counting qith Djoko to secure his records, he could do the job himaelf stopping Rafa and wining.
But, he will have to hit a Zen state not seen innhis play against Nadal ever since 2010 WTF and IW 2012. And Rafa gas to keep this level of play. If Nadal raises to US Opne level, not much Fed can do. But this courts really suits Fed game an everything is working in his game, except BO convertions.

Fed hater and Nadal lovers can come here mocking fed and feeling confident all thy want but deep down none knows who will win for sure (statistically Fed still has a 33% chance vis their HxH) and the thought of Fed wining at 32 beating Nadal and possible reaching 18 Slams is in the back of everybodys mind right now either yoi admitit or not!

Those of us who thought Nadal-Fed matches were passé are now drooling at the prospect of their match in 2 days.

Losing that 3rd set may be a blessing to Federer, who must remember to always be aggressive. If he takes his foot off the gas against Nadal he will lose quickly. He has easily had the most consistent form of the two at this year’s tournament, but that only goes so far when it comes to his confidence.

I mean no disrespect to Stan, who fully deserved his win over Nole, but that 5th set was decided by two bizarre Djokovic decisions/errors that handed Wawrinka the match on a platter.

I feel no matter how well Fed plays – and he has shown this week that he can still excel – he is going to have to be aided by an sometimes off-form Rafa if we are going to see Roger reach the final.

But I also suspect that should Fed win the semi and do well in the final a company by the name of Wilson is going to have a factory working overtime to manufacture enough units of a certain black racquet that is suddenly going to be one hot item. 😊

Dominating the next generation? well, IMO not with Rafa, Nole or Andy(who is still coming back from surgery)
Let’s see Rafa’s physical problems on friday, he just said that the problem was serving…
I wouldn’t be glad if Roger wins, he could set a new GS record, and the h2h would decrease… but I recognize his game is the smoothest, so refined.

Thanks. 11 straight semi final for Roger at the Australian Open – ridiculous !! This is an amazing statistic which every Roger Fan can be proud of.

True, if Roger manages to win this edition of Australian Open, it would be heralded as his greatest win considering his age, draw and the overall competition. But still it is quite a long way to go since he has Rafa in front. Roger should not put too much pressure on himself. He has played very well to reach the semi finals which is a big achievement by itself beating the finest of players with consummate ease. He can enjoy himself in the semi finals against Rafa and just hope to produce his magical Tennis and the rest will take care of themselves. The big advantage he is having today is that the court is playing fast.

Let us hope that the law of averages helps Roger against Rafa. But I am sure if he plays like he did against Tsonga and Andy, he can win. The question is can be reproduce his magical tennis once again on the D day ?? Keeping my fingers crossed.

Do you mean to say that Tsonga and Andy played that stupid ? I thought they were outplayed by the mastery of Roger’s brilliance. Tsonga, you know, was in awesom form in the tournament and Roger just dismantled him in straight sets which is a achievement of sorts. Outplaying Andy too for most part of the match is a real stroke of brilliance from Roger although one might argue that Andy needs some time to settle in after a back surgery.

You know, Andy played exceptionally well, and he would be the first one to tell you that his back operation was “minor”. What he lacks is matches, no practice court will make up for that. Just read his press cons after his operation.

So injury wise, Andy was fantastic. No excuses and he didn’t make any either. Just match practice is what he needs. His physicality is superb. One of the best.

This guy NK has nothing nice to say about Federer. If he loses, the other guy was great. If he wins, the other guy was stupid. Federer’s problem with Nadal is part mental and part matchup on his backhand. But to deny the fact that he is playing real well is abject stupidity.

Roger you are my 2nd best player to watch after Rafa time after time rafa defeated you, you were still humble as ever which has grown on me in terms of respect for you even more than Rafa… you are the most humble tennis player i’ve seen in my life..But………sadly you’ve won too much… 17 Grand Slams for me as a Nadal Fan is a alot and its END OF THE LINE for your GS wins sadly…Cant let him win one more slam and also to waste this opportunity by Rafa.. Nadal, No complacency, Be ruthless and finish Fed. Off!

Also note, Rafa plays much better in the evening session than day session. The ball travels much faster in the day session. He would relish the slower conditions of the evening session during the semis.

Huge respect to you guys for the regard and lack of bitterness you show here towards Rafa.

You guys are firm Fed fans and rather than be all defeatist about Fed, saying ‘oh it’s Rafa’s, and how awful is that’ like some here are doing on this thread bitterly instead:

1. You root for Fed. You show you love the guy’s Tennis as opposed to his records.

2. You also shows some respect for Rafa. Thank you for that.

Fed deserves proper fans such as yourself: those who love his Tennis more than his records, those who stick by him in dark times as opposed to gloating loudly when the going’s good and those who show respect to his opponents if they beat him since they know Fed does not give handouts on the court.

Thanks for that and it’s great to see Fed being sharp on Court once again.

Congratulations to all Fed fans, specially skeezer, madmax and Michael.Quite impressive how is your man playing.
I know Friday he will have his nemesis ( sometimes Fed with Nadal is like a deer in a headlights factory-he is feezed!)and will be very difficult wining that match but…you never know, right? Good luck!

NK,
As usual, you minimize Fed, exalt Rafa, all the while, claiming to be a Fed fan.

Skeezer, I remember you were some of the fans who wanted Fed to retire when he lost early in Wimby last year right?

Yeah, I don’t care anymore about Roger’s records. I just want him to play tennis. that’s it. That’s why i don’t feel too bad when he looses and excited when he wins. It’s part of tennis.

As far as Rafa is concerned, I can’t believe the kind of optimism people are showing towards Fed for this match. Unless Rafa is going to play with one hand and one leg, Roger would not get a chance to beat him in GS. That’s a fact we need to accept and move on.

This is not going to demean Roger’s record in any ways. He has done enough himself to be respected.

“Skeezer, I remember you were some of the fans who wanted Fed to retire when he lost early in Wimby last year right?”
Uh, no.
Then you go off on another subject about you don’t care about feds records. Uh?
Regardless, whats your point? You’re deflecting my statement. Whatever and expected.
“Unless Rafa is going to play with one hand and one leg, Roger would not get a chance to beat him in GS.
Lets all remember this one, true colors of the ultimate so called Fed fan giving him no chance?. Meh.
#closetRafa

Q. Given Rafa has had a good record against you in recent years, especially in slams. Do you take any comfort in the fact that he is struggling a little bit with his left hand, which means he can’t serve quite as well as normal?

ROGER FEDERER: Then 210 bombs are coming my way again. Who knows. He’s been tough to play against, no doubt. I’m happy I get a chance to play him in a slam again. I don’t remember the last time we played.

The head to head record is in his favor. I’m looking forward to speaking to Stefan, because when we spoke together, you know, when he came to Dubai and we spoke about the game, we clearly spoke about playing Rafa, as well.

He thought he had some good ideas, so I’m looking forward to what he has to say. Clearly with Severin, he knows him inside out. I’m looking forward to hear what the boys have to say. We’ll prepare. I hope I can get a win. We’ll see.

I was shocked to see Fed being so humble, after such a long time. Vamos Fed! Though i am a Rafa fan, I have to admit that he has earned a lot of respect over the years. I am sure he is going to give Rafa a run for his money on friday’s match!

I agree that Rafa is the favourite for tomorrow’s match. Seemingly, Roger has a big match up problem there and no one is sure if the new Coach Edberg has some remedies for it. But, it is been after some time that Roger is rediscovering his sublime touch and that makes us all excited, no wonder we feel so. How can you abruptly conclude that Roger has just no chance against Rafa ? Did anything thought Wawrinka would get the better off Novak ? It all happens in Tennis where the biggest of upsets have taken place and mind you, you are undermining a legend like Roger having just no chance against Rafa ? If players like Darcia and Rosol can get the better of Rafa, why not a legend like Roger who has beaten Rafa before ? Right now, it is Roger who is playing better than Rafa so far as this tournament is concerned and since the form changes every match, we do not know what semis is is in store ? I get perked up with the way Roger is defending in this tournament. He is just chasing every ball right down there and playing the aggressive kind which we have not seen from him a very long time. You say it being a night match, Rafa enjoys the advantage. May be or may be not. However, all things said and done, it all boils down to the form of a player on a particular day. If Roger can carry over the form he displayed against Tsonga, he definitely is in with a chance, how can anyone with sanity discount it ?

Brando, Thanks. Roger and Rafa are two Greatest Champions this Sport has produced. Nothing can be gained by undermining one another. They have established their own unique set of records which are shining pearls of glory engraved for permanance in Tennis legends. May the best man win tomorrow. As a Roger fan, I will be rooting for him, but even if he loses to Rafa, I will be happy for Rafa too because I have nothing against him and admire his tremendous tenacity, grit and determination.